National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - Summer2008 - Index

2
THE
THE
Leader
Leader
Joanne Kuntz
Editor
Julie Cornia
Graphic Designer
Rich Brame
Alumni Relations Manager
Meredith Haas
Editorial Assistant
John Gans
NOLS Executive Director
The Leader is a newsletter for alumni of the
National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS),
a nonprofit school focusing on wilderness
skills, leadership, and environmental ethics.
Published three times a year, each issue is
mailed to approximately 50,000 NOLS
alumni and an additional 10,000 prospective
students. NOLS graduates living in the U.S.
receive a free subscription to The Leader for life.
The Leader accepts paid advertising, and
welcomes article submissions and comments.
Please address all correspondence to the Editor
at leader@nols.edu, or (307) 332-8800. Direct
address changes to the Alumni office at
alumni@nols.edu, or (800) 332-4280. For the
most up-to-date information on NOLS, visit
www.nols.edu or e-mail admissions@nols.edu.
The Leader is printed locally on newsprint
with a minimum 40% post-consumer-waste
recycled content. A paperless version is also
available online at www.nols.edu/alumni/leader.
We are committed to continually exploring
environmentally-friendly production methods.
WHO’S THIS?
Recognize these two instructors? The first 10 people
to figure it out will receive a free NOLS t-shirt.
Call the Alumni Office at (800) 332-4280.
Last issue’s answer to “Who’s This?” is Lynne
Wolfe. Lynne started instructing with NOLS in 1985
and has worked over 320 weeks in the field.
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Brad Christensen
We are one of the best employers in the country because
we have the best employees in the country.
Summer at NOLS carries with it a unique and
dynamic energy. Students are arriving from around
the world, filled with anticipation, wonder, enthusiasm,
and a measure of apprehension. Significant early season
snow levels in the Wind River Mountains have probably
caused many students arriving at NOLS Rocky
Mountain to wonder what is in store for them as they
stare at the snow covered peaks enroute from the airport.
As early summer shifts toward the start of July, the
mix of energy at NOLS becomes even more eclectic as
these new students mingle with students returning from
the mountains, exuding enthusiasm, confidence, and
spunk. While educational programs at NOLS are now
offered year-round, the summer season is still the
busiest and will always hold a special spot in my heart.
Offering quality educational programs in remote
wilderness areas around the world demands a complex
web of logistics, curriculum, and equipment. Essential
to making it all happen is a phenomenal and dedicated
group of staff, volunteers, interns, and support people.
Long before our students arrive for a course, they
have often first heard about NOLS from you, our dedicated
alumni. I can’t thank you enough for spreading the
word about the NOLS mission. Not only is your word of
mouth work very efficient, but it also paints an accurate
picture of what arriving students can expect on their
courses. Our summer, which is fully enrolled, was well
on its way to full in March, thanks to the effort of all of
you. We are also pleased to see significant growth this
summer of second and third generation NOLS students.
A second key group for implementing successful
summer seasons are the many interns that work around
the school. In this issue you will find a feature titled “A
Day in the Life of a NOLS Intern” by Jared Pangretic.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Jared is one of many interns who has dedicated energy and
spirit to our mission and students while learning more
about outdoor education and NOLS. Interns serve our
mission in marketing, admissions, alumni, and public
policy and at our bases around the world. Many of
them have gone on to staff positions around the school.
As I write this address, I am preparing for our summer
Board of Trustees meeting at NOLS Pacific Northwest.
Our 18-member Board volunteers considerable
time, energy, and ideas to further the NOLS mission.
After six years on the board, this will be the last meeting
for Joe Allen, Greg Avis, and Carolyn Rohlen. All
three have spent considerable time in the wilderness
with NOLS and all of them also have children that are
NOLS graduates. We thank them for their committed
volunteer service and look forward to their ongoing role
in the NOLS family.
The final key ingredient in pulling off our summer
is our dedicated staff. While many of our staff work
year-round at NOLS, the summer brings an added infusion
of staff that help us meet demands during our peak
season. Some of these staff are classroom educators during
the remainder of the year, others work in the ski industry,
and others may be students themselves during
the remainder of the year. The return of old friends
added to our core staff always brings a reunion spirit to
the summer season. Research continues to show that
our faculty and staff are the most powerful factor influencing
the phenomenal outcomes of a NOLS education.
Our curriculum, wilderness classrooms, and fellow
students are also influential factors, but nothing comes
close to the influence of our staff.
You will notice a sidebar in this Leader on NOLS
being selected by Outside magazine as one of the best
employers in the country. While we are pleased with
this recognition, we also recognize that it is a bit of a
chicken/egg situation. Namely, we are one of the best
employers in the country because we have the best
employees in the country.
Thanks to our staff, volunteers, and interns we are
ready and enthused for the summer. I wish you a great
season filled with outdoor adventures.
John Gans, NOLS Executive Director
FEATURES
Adversity in Kenya: Checking in on NOLS Friends and Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Hanging Out To Dry: Saving Energy With Your Laundry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
The High Side of The Horn of Africa: The Expedition Behind Vertical Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
A Day in the Life of a NOLS Intern: Making a Lifestyle Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
DEPARTMENTS
WILD SIDE OF MEDICINE: Hands-only CPR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
ISSUE ROOM: NOLS Classrooms in the Face of Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Q&A: Lindsay Nohl, NOLS Annual Fund Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
ALUMNI PROFILE: One Year in One Trashcan: A Commitment to the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
BOOK REVIEW: Vertical Ethiopia: Climbing Toward Possibility in the Horn of Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
RECIPE BOX: Fresh Trout WIZNUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
GEAR ROOM: The Whats and Whys of Food Dehydrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
FIELD NOTES: WMI and Landmark Learning in Ecuador with the Relief Medic Program . . . . . . . . . . . .15
JABBERWOCKY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
ALUMNI HAPPENINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
BRANCH NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
BOOK REVIEW: Guidebooks by NOLS Grads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
BELAY OFF: Coming Full Circle: Passing on the Gift of Wilderness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20